Festival di Sanremo: History, Winners and Cultural Impact Through 2026

The Festival di Sanremo is far more than a televised singing competition. For five nights each year, it becomes Italy’s national conversation: songs are judged, clothes are analyzed, jokes become memes, controversies dominate the press, and performances introduce new voices while reviving established careers.

Officially known as the Festival della Canzone Italiana, Sanremo has helped shape Italian popular music since 1951. It inspired the creation of the Eurovision Song Contest, launched internationally successful songs such as “Nel blu, dipinto di blu,” and remains one of the most influential entertainment events in Italy.

How the Festival di Sanremo Began

The first Festival di Sanremo was held in the ballroom of the Casino di Sanremo from January 29 to 31, 1951. It was organized by RAI and presented by radio host Nunzio Filogamo.

The event was considerably smaller than the modern television production. Only three acts—Nilla Pizzi, Achille Togliani and Duo Fasano—performed the 20 competing songs. At the time, the emphasis was primarily on the compositions rather than on creating a distinctive public identity for every performer.

Nilla Pizzi won the inaugural competition with “Grazie dei fiori.” The festival was broadcast on radio, and contemporary newspapers devoted relatively little attention to it. Few could have predicted that this modest postwar event would become one of Italy’s most recognizable cultural institutions.

The original festival also served a practical purpose: it helped attract visitors to Sanremo during the winter season while promoting new Italian songs through national radio.

From Radio to National Television

During its first four editions, Sanremo was essentially a radio event. Television coverage began in 1955, allowing the festival to reach Italian families at a moment when television ownership was rapidly expanding.

The timing could hardly have been better. RAI television was helping to create a shared national culture across a country still marked by strong regional identities and dialects. Sanremo supplied memorable songs, elegant performers and an annual ritual that Italians could experience together.

In 1958, Domenico Modugno transformed both Sanremo and the international perception of Italian popular music. His performance of “Nel blu, dipinto di blu,” commonly known as “Volare,” broke with the more restrained singing style associated with the festival’s early years.

Modugno’s open-armed performance and exuberant delivery became iconic. The song won Sanremo, placed third at Eurovision and achieved worldwide success. It later received Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Sanremo and the Birth of Eurovision

The success of the Italian festival helped inspire the European Broadcasting Union to create the Eurovision Song Contest in 1956. Eurovision adopted the central idea of countries presenting original songs in a shared international competition.

The relationship between Sanremo and Eurovision has changed over time. In some periods the Sanremo winner automatically became Italy’s Eurovision representative; in others, RAI used a separate selection process.

Under the current system, the winner of Sanremo’s main competition is offered the opportunity to represent Italy at Eurovision. The artist may decline, in which case RAI can select another participant.

Sanremo should therefore not be described simply as Italy’s Eurovision qualifying round. It is an independent competition with its own history, rules and cultural importance. Eurovision participation is an additional opportunity connected to winning it.

Sanremo in the 1960s

By the 1960s, Sanremo had become an essential showcase for the Italian recording industry. The decade featured artists including Mina, Adriano Celentano, Bobby Solo, Sergio Endrigo and Gigliola Cinquetti.

Cinquetti won Sanremo in 1964 with “Non ho l’età” and then won Eurovision with the same song. Her success demonstrated how effectively Sanremo could introduce Italian music to an international audience.

The decade also produced one of the festival’s darkest moments. Singer-songwriter Luigi Tenco died during the 1967 edition after his song “Ciao amore, ciao,” performed with Dalida, was eliminated. His death profoundly affected Italian music and intensified debate about artistic quality, commercial pressure and the festival’s voting system.

Changes During the 1970s

The 1970s were a more uncertain period for Sanremo. Italian popular music was changing, television audiences were becoming more sophisticated, and many prominent singer-songwriters preferred albums, concerts and politically engaged music to traditional competitions.

Nevertheless, the festival continued to adapt. In 1977, it moved from the Casino di Sanremo to the Teatro Ariston. The Ariston subsequently became so closely identified with the festival that its stage, staircase and exterior are now part of Sanremo’s visual identity.

The only later edition held away from the Ariston was the 1990 festival, staged at the larger Palafiori in Bussana.

The Spectacle of the 1980s

During the 1980s, Sanremo embraced brighter staging, elaborate fashion and a more overtly televisual style. The decade produced important winners including Toto Cutugno with “Solo noi” in 1980, Al Bano and Romina Power with “Ci sarà” in 1984, and Eros Ramazzotti with “Adesso tu” in 1986.

Sanremo also welcomed numerous international guests. Performers appearing during different editions have included Queen, Whitney Houston, Madonna, David Bowie and many other international stars.

Not every famous Sanremo song won the competition. Vasco Rossi’s “Vita spericolata,” presented in 1983, finished near the bottom of the final ranking but became an Italian rock classic. This illustrates one of Sanremo’s enduring truths: the final standings do not always predict which songs will have the longest cultural life.

New Stars in the 1990s

The 1990s reinforced Sanremo’s ability to introduce artists who would later find audiences outside Italy.

Laura Pausini won the Newcomers section in 1993 with “La solitudine,” a song that helped launch her international career. Andrea Bocelli won the Newcomers category in 1994 with “Il mare calmo della sera.” He returned to the main competition in 1995 with “Con te partirò,” which finished fourth before becoming one of the most internationally recognized Italian songs of the modern era.

Other important winners of the decade included Giorgia with “Come saprei,” Elisa with “Luce (Tramonti a nord est)” at the beginning of the following decade, and the duo Jalisse with “Fiumi di parole.”

Sanremo in the Digital Age

During the 2000s and 2010s, Sanremo had to compete with talent shows, streaming platforms, social media and changing listening habits. Instead of making the festival irrelevant, these developments gradually expanded its reach.

Performances could be viewed and discussed immediately online. Songs entered streaming charts within hours, while younger audiences participated through memes, social commentary and fan communities.

The festival increasingly embraced indie pop, rap, electronic influences and contemporary singer-songwriters alongside traditional Italian ballads. Mahmood’s 2019 victory with “Soldi” was a particularly important moment. The song combined personal storytelling with contemporary production, placed second at Eurovision and became an international streaming success.

For a broader selection of music beyond the competition, see our guide to the 100 most famous Italian songs and our overview of Italian music.

Sanremo During the Pandemic

The 2020 festival took place shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic transformed daily life in Italy. Diodato won with “Fai rumore,” a song that later acquired an emotional association with Italy’s lockdown period.

The 2021 edition was held without the usual audience inside the Teatro Ariston. Måneskin won with “Zitti e buoni” and went on to win Eurovision in Rotterdam. Their subsequent international career introduced the band—and, indirectly, Sanremo—to a new global generation.

The empty theater made the 2021 edition visually unusual, but the competition continued without being reduced to a virtual event. Performers, presenters, musicians and production staff remained physically present at the Ariston under extensive health restrictions.

The Festival from 2022 to 2024

Mahmood and Blanco won Sanremo 2022 with “Brividi.” They represented Italy at Eurovision in Turin, where they finished sixth.

Marco Mengoni won the 2023 festival with “Due vite,” ten years after his first Sanremo victory with “L’essenziale.” He later placed fourth at Eurovision.

In 2024, Angelina Mango won with “La noia,” becoming the first woman to win the main competition since Arisa in 2014. The song mixed Italian pop with rhythmic and folk-influenced elements and finished seventh at Eurovision.

These editions were directed and presented by Amadeus, whose five consecutive festivals from 2020 through 2024 helped reconnect Sanremo with younger artists and streaming-era audiences.

Sanremo 2025: Olly Wins with “Balorda nostalgia”

Carlo Conti returned as artistic director and presenter for the 75th Festival di Sanremo, held from February 11 to 15, 2025.

Olly won the main competition with “Balorda nostalgia.” Lucio Corsi placed second with “Volevo essere un duro,” while Brunori Sas finished third with “L’albero delle noci.” Fedez and Simone Cristicchi completed the top five.

The podium was notable for its emphasis on contemporary songwriting rather than one dominant musical formula. Olly brought an immediately accessible modern pop song, Lucio Corsi combined glam-inspired theatricality with an unconventional singer-songwriter identity, and Brunori Sas delivered a reflective autobiographical composition.

Settembre won the Newcomers section with “Vertebre.”

Olly declined the opportunity to represent Italy at Eurovision because of previously scheduled live commitments. RAI consequently selected runner-up Lucio Corsi, who performed “Volevo essere un duro” at the 2025 Eurovision Song Contest in Basel.

The result clarified an often-misunderstood rule: winning Sanremo brings the right of first refusal for Eurovision, but it does not obligate the artist to participate.

Sanremo 2026: Sal Da Vinci Wins the 76th Edition

The 76th Festival di Sanremo took place from February 24 to 28, 2026, with Carlo Conti again serving as artistic director and presenter.

Sal Da Vinci won with “Per sempre sì,” a contemporary melodic song rooted in the expressive tradition for which the Neapolitan singer and actor is known. His victory came more than three decades after he won Sanremo’s Newcomers section in 1994 with “Vera.”

Sayf finished second with “Tu mi piaci tanto,” followed by Ditonellapiaga with “Che fastidio!” Arisa placed fourth with “Magica favola,” while Fedez and Marco Masini completed the top five with “Male necessario.”

The results showed the breadth of the modern Sanremo stage: a veteran interpreter with strong connections to Neapolitan song finished ahead of younger and alternative performers, while contemporary pop, rap and classic Italian melodic writing coexisted in the same competition.

Fulminacci received the Mia Martini Critics’ Award for “Stupida sfortuna.” Serena Brancale received the Lucio Dalla Press Room Award, and Nicolò Filippucci won the Newcomers competition with “Laguna.”

Sal Da Vinci accepted the invitation to represent Italy at the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, where “Per sempre sì” finished fifth.

The final evening also marked a transition in the festival’s leadership, as Carlo Conti passed responsibility for the following edition to Stefano De Martino.

How Sanremo Voting Works

Sanremo’s voting system has changed many times. Recent editions have combined results from three main groups:

Public televoting
The Press, Television and Web Jury
The Radio Jury

The weight assigned to each group can vary according to the evening and the edition’s official regulations. Preliminary voting produces an overall ranking, after which the highest-placed songs face a final round of voting.

This mixture of public and professional votes is intended to balance mass popularity with assessments from journalists and radio professionals. Inevitably, it also produces annual debates about whether the “right” song won.

More Than a Music Competition

Sanremo occupies an unusual place in Italian culture because it brings together several forms of entertainment in one very long live broadcast.

The competing songs remain its foundation, but viewers also follow the presenters, monologues, fashion, comedy, orchestral arrangements, guest appearances and unexpected live moments. Newspapers and television programs discuss each evening the following morning, while social media turns individual gestures or phrases into instant national references.

The festival can also affect commercial careers almost immediately. A strong performance may propel a song onto streaming charts, revive interest in an established singer or introduce a relatively unknown artist to millions of listeners.

Memorable Songs That Did Not Win

Winning Sanremo is prestigious, but some of its most enduring songs failed to take first place. Notable examples include:

Domenico Modugno’s “Ciao, ciao bambina,” which did win in 1959, alongside his more famous 1958 victory
Adriano Celentano’s “24 mila baci,” second in 1961
Domenico Modugno’s and Gigliola Cinquetti’s “Dio, come ti amo,” a 1966 winner that later reached audiences beyond the competition
Vasco Rossi’s “Vita spericolata,” 25th in 1983
Andrea Bocelli’s “Con te partirò,” fourth in 1995
Loredana Bertè’s “Pazza,” seventh in 2024

These results show that Sanremo’s most valuable prize may ultimately be the audience’s long-term affection rather than the trophy itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

When did the Festival di Sanremo begin?

The first edition was held at the Casino di Sanremo from January 29 to 31, 1951. Nilla Pizzi won with “Grazie dei fiori.”

Where is Sanremo held?

The festival has normally been held at the Teatro Ariston since 1977. Earlier editions took place at the Casino di Sanremo. The 1990 festival was held at the Palafiori in Bussana.

Who won Sanremo in 2025?

Olly won the 2025 edition with “Balorda nostalgia.” Lucio Corsi placed second and Brunori Sas third.

Who won Sanremo in 2026?

Sal Da Vinci won Sanremo 2026 with “Per sempre sì.” Sayf finished second and Ditonellapiaga third.

Does the Sanremo winner automatically go to Eurovision?

The winner is offered the opportunity to represent Italy but may decline. Olly did so in 2025, after which RAI selected runner-up Lucio Corsi. Sal Da Vinci accepted the invitation following his 2026 victory.

What is the most internationally famous Sanremo song?

“Nel blu, dipinto di blu,” better known as “Volare,” is generally considered the festival’s most internationally famous song. Domenico Modugno won Sanremo with it in 1958.

Can Sanremo be watched outside Italy?

RAI makes extensive Festival coverage, performances and highlights available through its television channels and digital platforms. International availability can vary because of broadcasting and rights restrictions.

Sanremo’s Continuing Importance

Sanremo has survived changing musical styles, political controversies, declining and resurgent television audiences, the arrival of commercial television, the internet, streaming and social media.

Its strength comes from its ability to change without abandoning its identity. An orchestra still accompanies contemporary performers. Veteran singers compete with emerging artists. Traditional melodic songs share the stage with rap, rock, indie pop and electronic production.

From Nilla Pizzi’s “Grazie dei fiori” in 1951 to Sal Da Vinci’s “Per sempre sì” in 2026, the Festival di Sanremo has provided a musical record of Italy’s changing tastes, anxieties and aspirations. The songs may compete for only a few nights, but the festival’s real story continues throughout the year—in Italian homes, concert halls, playlists and collective memory.